Dragon Riders (dragon clan)
The Dragon Riders, often referred to as simply the Riders or by their color Blue, were a Dragon Clan active in Pandora during Dragonhollow's Fifth Era. The clan was based in Rider's Rest, a desert community that encircled their original Dragon Gate leading to Sanctuary. =Description= ---- The Dragon Riders were the descendants of the dragonrider god Ymir, ever seeking to restore their mastery of flight. Because of their deep respect towards the wyverns of Dragonhollow, they were historically partners and allies of the Dragonkin, though the Kin frowned upon the use of dragons as mounts. For the same reason, in the past the Riders had been opposed to the Dragon Hunters. With their gates leading to harsh desert, frozen tundra, and craggy mountains, the Riders were forced out of necessity to live and work together to overcome adversity among their bleak surroundings. =History= ---- Early Activities ]] Ymir, the ancient god of winter and Father of Frost Giants was the founder of the Dragon Riders. After he tamed the mighty red dragon Mesonyx, Ymir became known as the "Dragon King" and encouraged others to bond with drakes and join his Dragon Clan, soaring the skies as one. This ushered in a great period of cooperation between the dragons and the gods. A text discovered on Rambro's Eyeland spoke of a mysterious artifact that was stolen from Rambro by the leader of the Dragon Riders. Some historians believe this artifact was a set of War Wings, perhaps suggesting that this particular leader came after the clan members lost their ability to ride dragons and was searching for a way to fly again. Others suspect this leader was Ymir himself. The Riders joined their leader against the dragons during the Wyvern Wars uprising but were eventually defeated after centuries of battle. Fifth Era On 5E:1, Eris named the Dragon Riders as one of three sanctioned clans under her protection and began forcibly assigning residents to the faction through the use of clan tokens. Because of the lack of natural resources and acrid, unpleasant features of the desert surrounding their original Dragon Gate, most Riders chose to live elsewhere. Terry, Macca, Sharkberries, and Boo established residences in Freetown on land near the FFA Dragon Gate. Nevertheless, some braved the coarse sands and blistering heat and erected homes near their gate, including Kernal Kevlar, DredGrimoire, and BurgerDaddy. On 5E:70, new arrival Abbray put out a call to action for her fellow clanmates, encouraging them to return to the Dragon Gate and work together to make it a functional and friendly home for the Riders. Tox was the first to follow her lead and began construction of a central community hub known as the Refuge. Many more members contributed to the efforts and established residences in the area. For a time, Rider's Rest became the most active neighborhood in all of Pandora, even drawing members of other clans interested in being part of a bustling town. The Riders enjoyed a bit of prestige when they won two consecutive Pandora Survivor contests thanks to Tox and Calp0l. Attacks The clan splintered with the return of former exiles Jrod and the Dragonslayers, neither of whom had any loyalty to their blue brethren despite being assigned to the Riders by Eris. Both frequently targeted other Riders in the area through the use of fishing poles, poison potions, and lava to circumvent the prohibitions on intra-clan combat. On 5E:162, the Dragonslayers launched an attack on the entirety of Rider's Rest, destroying many homes including those of Kernal Kevlar, Mudkip, and Abbray. Jrod chose to defend himself by erecting an imposing stone brick wall around much of his compound and the Dragon Gate itself, drawing criticism from those that complained it was hideous and destroyed the feel of the town. Following his lead, Calp0l constructed a base of operations in town floating above a terrifying crevasse of molten magma that claimed more than a few unsuspecting newcomers who arrived through the Dragon Gate. These tensions drove most of the clan to abandon Rider's Rest entirely. Tox put the construction of the Refuge on indefinite hiatus. When the Dragonslayers launched a second attack on 5E:291, there was no one left to notice because it had become a complete ghost town. Final Activities A third gate opened at Wyvern Pointe on 5E:258, transporting Riders to a rugged but bountiful mountain range. The clan used it to gather supplies and find new treasures, but no one built a single structure near the new gate and few if any were willing to move that far from Sanctuary. HyperSilence, Retro, and Zerg used Join Clan Tokens to become Dragon Riders with Tox, so that all of their Hyperion faction could use the same Dragon Gates. Tox wore a Riders banner when he won the first of the Woj's Races at Wojchester on 5E:273. There was some interest from the clan in participating in Jinx's planned Clan Olympics, but the event was never held. After halting work for many months due to the situation in Rider's Rest, Tox quietly returned to finish the Refuge. Though it was not yet finished, he opened it to the public on 5E:315. Just days later, Eris ordered Pandora's Box to be opened and Pandora was ravaged by its effects, bringing a harsh end to the Fifth Era and relegating the Dragon Riders to the history books. =Members= ---- This is an incomplete list of some of the more notable Dragon Riders. Category:Organizations Category:Military Organizations Category:Dragon Clans Category:Rider's Rest